Spray nozzle



July 19, 1960 RIC-MULLINS- Filed Dec. 1C), 1957' INVENTOR. Pesos-Pick C (704416,

Jar

SPRAY NOZZLE Frederick C. Mullins, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Koppers Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 10, 1957, Ser. No. 701,741

9 Claims. (Cl. 239 -498) This invention generally relates to spray nozzles and more particularly relates to nozzles for producing spray from a liquid that is forced therethrough..

There are two types of spray producing nozzles in general use today, namely, the hollow cone type and the solid cone type, the. former producing a spray pattern which is circular but not filled in cross section and the latter producing a spray pattern which is circular and solid in cross section. Heretofore, solid cones of sprays have been produced by nozzles which imparted a whirling motion to the fluid inside the nozzle and due to the close tolerances which Were necessary in these nozzles, these nozzles were subject to clogging when liquids having entrained solids were being sprayed. Moreover it is universally recognized that nozzles heretofore in use do not have great enough fluid volume capacity to satisfy present production requirements.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a nozzle which will produce a solid cone of spray and which will not clog when the liquid used has solids entrained therein.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a simple large fluid capacity nozzle which produces a solid cone of spray without whirling the fluid therein.

A further object of the present invention is to produce a simple solid cone of spray in a nozzle capable of handling large volumes of fluid.

This invention contemplates using a spray nozzle adapted for easy attachment to a liquid source for receiving a stream of liquid and for dividing the stream into a plurality of streams of uniform cross section and direction and reaction plates and a skirt cooperating with said unit for splitting anddirecting said streams into single cone-shaped spray which is substantially filled with droplets.

iThe above and further objects and novel features of the invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description when the sameis read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be especially understood, however, that the drawings are not intended as a definition of the invention but are for the purpose of illustration only.

The invention will now be more fully explained in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

.Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the novel nozzle;

Fig.2 is a partial cross section through lines 2--2 of the nozzle of Fig. 1 on a reduced scale;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a reaction plate of the nozzle of Fig. v2 on enlarged scale taken through section line III-III;

Fig. 4 is a side view of another embodiment of the reaction plate of Fig. 3; q

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the spatter plateof Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a side view of another embodiment of the reaction plate of Fig. 3.

The improved nozzle of the present invention, Fig. l, is shown reversed with respect to the position in which it is used in actual service and comprises a hollow subatent ice stantially cylindrical housing 10 through which liquid is forced under pressure and which has threads 13 (Fig. 2) or other equivalent attachment means (not shown) at one end for easy connection to a suitable liquid source. At the other end of the housing 10, is an end plate 15 which is flush with the smallest inside diameter of a tapered shoulder or skirt 16 on the housing 10 so that a recess 17 of frusto-conical shape is formed thereon. Normally, the housing 10 including the end plate 15, apertures 18 and shoulder 16 are fabricated at one time by molding, but it may be machined from one unit or several units which are attached by suitable means and in fabrication the angle 21 of shoulder 16 with end plate 15 is determined.

End plate 15 is provided with three apertures 18 of uniform cross sectional area. The axes of these apertures 18 are parallel with the axis of housing 10 and are in spaced apart relation so that they are equally distant and so that each aperture 18 is located midway between the axis of end plate 15 and the inside smallest diameter of shoulder 16. The thickness of end plate .15 is advantageously not more than 100% and not less than 5.0% of the diameter of apertures 18, and the number of apertures may be more or less than the number shown but are advantageously of an odd number. erable that the shape of the apertures 18 be substantially cylindrical and uniform in cross section but other geometrical shapes such as squares, triangles, or cross shapes may be used.

Located at the center of end plate 15 is a pin 22 which is rigidly attached thereto by a set screw 20 or in another known manner, or threaded into end plate 15 so that it is rotatable for adjustment and/or replacement. Radiating from the top of this pin 22 are three arms 23 which are preferably teardrop-shaped in cross section with the point of the teardrop pointing toward end plate 15. The

shape of these arms may be square, round or any other desired configuration.

Attached to the arms 23 are three reaction plates 24, sometimes called spatter plates 24, which are substantially T shaped in cross section. These spatter plates 24 are,

' of an aperture 18 and each spatter plate 24 is co-axial team aperture 18. In the embodiment of Figure 3 the 18. Advantageously the depth of recess 17 is not less than 30% of the distance between the exit end of apertures 18 and the cooperative reaction surfaces 25 of each spatter plate 24 respectively.

In operation, housing 1.0 is threaded on a conduit leading to a source of fluid pressure not shown. Liquid is forced through the hollow part of housing 10 and is dividedinto a plurality of non-rotating streams having uniform cross section and direction by apertures 18. Fluid flows through each of these apertures 18 and strikes the reaction surface 25 of the splatter plates 24. The impact of the fluid on these reaction surfaces 25 andthe sudden change in direction of fluid flow splits the fluid arms 23 whereupon they are deflected into asingle solid fluid cone ofspray. The direction andideflection of the drops is related to the area of the reaction surface 25,

v Patented July 19, 1961i It is prefthe diameter and depth of each aperture 18, the distance between reaction surface 25 of each spatter plate 24 and end plate 15, the area of the end plate 15, the angle 21 and axial length of the tapered shoulder 16, the configuration of pin 22 and arms 23, and the relative distances between the various parts. Thus these elements may be varied in geometrical shape and relationship to each other so that the shape of the cone of spray is changed. The size of droplets may be varied as desired by increasing or decreasing the pressure in housing 10.

In the embodiment of the spatter plates 38 shown in Figures 4 and 5, the reaction surface 39 is serrated with serrations 40. In another embodiment, in Fig. 6, the reaction surface 4 1 of the spatter plate 43 which is exposed to the liquid directed through the apertures 18 is cone-shaped. Such an embodiment, however, has been found to be, acceptable only when the angle of the cone is less than 30.

The foregoing has described a novel nozzle having the advantage of providing a solid cone of spray and, at the same time, providing the greatest amount of opening per unit of area for free passage of crystals, dirt or foreign material so that it is substantially non-cloggable and thus it is suitable for use in heavy industries where the handling of large quantities of liquids containing solid matter are used.

Although the foregoing has illustrated and described the invention in detail, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Various changes can be made in the design, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as will now be understood by those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A spray nozzle for producing a single cone of spray substantially filled with droplets comprising a longitudinally extending housing threaded at one end for attachment to a liquid source, a plate fixed transversely of said housing and having a plurality of apertures for receiving a stream of fluid and for dividing it into a plurality of smaller streams, stationary spatter plates coaxially spaced from said apertures for breaking up said plurality of streams into a multitude of droplets, means having arms in cross section substantially teardrop-shaped for holding said spatter plates at a fixed distance from said plate, said housing having a frustro-conical shaped skirt thereon cooperating with said spatter plates for deflecting and directing said droplets into a single cone-shaped spray which is substantially filled with droplets.

2. A spray nozzle for producing a single cone of spray substantially filled with droplets comprising a longitudinally extending housing threaded at one end for attachment to a liquid source, a plate fixed transversely of said housing and having a plurality of apertures for receiving a stream of fluid and dividing it into a plurality of smaller streams, stationary spatter plates coaxially spaced from said apertures for breaking up said plurality of streams into a multitude of droplets, means having arms extending at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said streams and substantially teardrop-shaped in cross section for holding said spatter plates at a fixed distance from said plate, said housing having a frustro-conical shaped skirt thereon cooperating with said spatter plates for deflecting and directing said droplets into a single cone-shaped spray which is substantially filled with droplets.

3. A spray nozzle for producing a single cone of spray substantially filled with droplets comprising alongitudinally extending housing threaded at one end for attachment to a liquid source, a plate fixed transversely of said housing and having a plurality of apertures for receiving a stream of fluid and for dividing it into a plurality of smaller streams, a'plurality of stationary spatter plates coaxially spaced from said plate'for splitting said plurality ofstreams into a multitude of droplets, a support on said plate, for supporting said spatter plates and having d arms which assist in producing and directing said droplets, and a frustro-conical shaped skirt surrounding said spatter plates and constituting a portion of said housing for directing said droplets into a solid cone of spray substantially filled with droplets.

4. A nozzle for producing a single cone of spray substantially filled with droplets comprising a substantially cylindrical longitudinally extending housing having an end plate of substantial thickness closing one end and threads at the other end for attachment to a source of fluid pressure, a plurality of apertures extending through said end plate axially to said housing and having a diameter greater than the thickness of said end plate whereby the stream of fluid flowing through said housing is divided into a plurality of smaller streams, a stationary reaction plate for each aperture, means on said end plate for holding said reaction plates in spaced relation over said apertures, said reaction plates having plane surfaces perpendicular to the axes of said apertures whereby the impact of the smaller streams on said reaction plates causes each stream to be split into a multitude of droplets, a skirt integral with said housing and of greater diameter than said end plate extending beyond said end plate and having a generally frusto-conical shape for deflecting and directing said droplets into a single cone-shaped spray substantially filled with said droplets.

5. A spray nozzle for developing a cone shaped spray substantially filled with droplets comprising ahousing threaded at one end for attachment to a liquid source, a plate at the other end fixed transversely of said housing for receiving a stream of liquid and having a plurality of apertures of uniform cross section for dividing the stream into a plurality of smaller streams, a stationary spatter plate coaxially spaced from each of said apertures for splitting each of said plurality of streams into a multitude of droplets, and a skirt on said housing around said spatter plates and cooperating with said spatter plates for deflecting and directing said droplets into a single cone-shaped spray substantially filled with droplets.

6. A spray nozzle for producing a solid cone of spray substantially filled with droplets comprising a longitudinally extending housing threaded at one end for easy attachment to a liquid source, a plate fixed transversely of said housing and having a plurality of apertures of uniform cross section and spaced equidistant from each other whereby said housing is adapted to receive a liquid stream and divide the stream into a plurality of smaller streams, a separate stationary spatter plate coaxially spaced downstream from each of said apertures for splitting each of said plurality of streams into a multitude of droplets, and a hollow substantially frustum shaped skirt means at the other end of said housing around said spatter plates and cooperating with said stationary spatter plates for deflecting and directing said droplets into a single cone-shaped spray which is substantially filled with droplets.

7. A spray nozzle for producing a solid cone of spray substantially filled with droplets comprising a longitudinally extending housing threaded at one end for attachment to a liquid source, a plate fixed transversely of said housing having a plurality of apertures for receiving a stream of liquid and for dividing the stream into a plurality of smaller streams, a stationary spatter plate having a reaction surface coaxially spaced downstream from each of said apertures for splitting each of said plurality of streams into a multitude of droplets, the area of said reaction surface being substantially the same as the cross sectional area of the aperture associated therewith, and a hollow substantially frustum shaped skirt at the other end of said housing and around said spatter plates for deflecting and directing said droplets into a single coneshaped spray which is substantially filled with droplets.

8. A spray nozzle for producing a solid cone of spray substantially filled with droplets comprising a longitudinally extending housing threaded at one end for attachment to a liquid source, a plate at the other end fixed transversely of said housing and having a plurality of apertures of uniform cross section for receiving a stream of liquid and for dividing the stream into a plurality of smaller streams, a stationary spatter plate having a reaction surface coaxially spaced downstream from each of said apentures for splitting said plurality of streams into a multitude of droplets, the area of said reaction surface being substantially the same cross sectional area of the aperture adjacent thereto, and a hollow substantially frustum shaped skirt around said spatter plates cooperating with said spatter plates for deflecting and directing said droplets into a single cone-shaped spray which is substantially filled with droplets.

9. A spray nozzle for developing a single cone shaped spray substantially filled with droplets comprising a longitudinally extending housing threaded at one end for attachment to a liquid source, a plate fixed transversely of said housing and having a plurality of apertures for receiving a stream of liquid and for dividing the stream into plurality of smaller streams, and a stationary spatter plate substantially T shaped in cross section supported from said plate and coaxially spaced from each of said apertures, the widest part of saidspatter plates being exposed and adjacent to said plurality of streams for References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 426,512 Parker Apr. 29', 1890 706,986 Moderson Aug. 12, 1902 1,724,662 Johnson Aug. 13, 1929 1,890,156 Konig Dec. 6, 1932 1,931,689 Evans Oct. 24, 1933 1,999,116 Sidney Apr. 23, 1935 2,222,465 Nystrom Nov. 19, 1940 2,681,254 Fuller June 15, 1954 2,858,120 Goodrie Oct. 28, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 26,575 Great Britain 1912 471,273 Great Britain Sept. 1, 1937 

